Diamond in the Rough: Jamal Brown Jr., Belaire High School

Jamal is a 6’1″, 180 lbs, quarterback that recently transferred to Belaire High School from Friendship Capitol High School. He threw for 1200 yards and rushed for another 300 while at Capitol High School as a junior and only hopes to improve on those numbers as a senior.

When I was about 3 years old, I started playing quarterback at first. I think I was “born to be a quarterback.”

Did you play any other sports growing up?

I played a lot of sports actually, I was a real athlete. I played football, baseball, basketball, and soccer. I stopped playing soccer when I was about eight I think, stopped playing baseball when I was like 14, and basketball when I was like nine years old. But I love football, I just love contact sports.

What do you love most about football?

I love that nervous feeling you have at the beginning of the game, that tension, when you look over at your opponent, and you can feel that tension in the air. I love it because my adrenaline starts pumping.

What do you like best about competing?

Competing brings out character, it shows what type of a person you are. Can you overcome adversity of your opponent? Can you persevere through the trials that you have? I think that football has a connection to life – if you get knocked down, you have to get back up. Every time you get back up you have to compete again.

What style of game play best describes you?

I ask the coach to let me run the ball once or twice to start a game, because I am kinda nervous at the start of a game, so when I get hit that kinda calms me down and I’m ready to play.

What’s your favorite song to listen to before a game?

My favorite song to listen to is 2Pac – “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” that’s my go to song, that’s how I get pumped up.

What were your goals this previous season, and did you meet all of them?

I wanted to pass for over 1,000 yards and rush for 500. I made the first one but didn’t make it on the second, I fell short on that. I threw for 1,200 yards and had 300 rushing yards.

Now that you’re going to a new school, are you keeping those goals, or are you making new ones?

I think that since it’s 5A and not 3A my new goals are to pass for at least 1,600 and rush for 500. Yeah, rush for 500 since I didn’t reach that one yet. I think I need to bump up my goals a little bit

Who are some of your biggest influences?

My mom first, she’s like my real back bone. She’s really pushing me with college and everything. Then my dad, he’s trying to get me in college with the athletic part. My mom with the academic part. My other influences outside my family, his name is “Fuel” that’s his nickname, I forgot his real name, but he played at Nichols State and arena football and he’s like my personal trainer. My pastor, who is always pushing me to be smarter with my finances. Coach Carl Thomas and Derek Guidry, those two coaches pushed me physically.

Do you think attitude is a big factor in winning?

Yes sir, oh yes sir! If you’re arrogant and play for yourself then you’re not coachable. You need to be able to listen, and stay humble. Attitude is a big part of the football team.

How does athletics make you a better student?

I think my books, are making me a better athlete. Because if you don’t have the books you can not play. So why not keep it the other way around?

Where would you like to play your college career at?

University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I used to watch them as a child, and remember watching Tennessee vs Georgia, and Georgia always winning. To me I love an underdog, could you imagine being apart of that team that beat Georgia, or to play Alabama, and I go there and have the talent around me to beat them. I wanna be that person.

What do you think a strength is in your game play?

Reading coverage, that’s my strength. If I make a bad pass it’ll be the right read, I’m not gonna say it won’t happen, but I can read a coverage.

What do you think needs some work in the off-season?

My strength in my legs. I have chicken legs right now. I’ve been working on them for a while, like today we were doing stuff with a weighted vest for speed and agility.

What would be a successful season to you?

Every senior out of my class goes DI or DII. I hope that everyone in my class gets to go to college. I want my 2019 class to go to college. I don’t want to come back to Baton Rouge one day and see someone that I know working at McDonald’s or something like that. If everyone in my class goes to college I’ll be thankful

What is your favorite offense to run?

I love West Coast Offense, the spread offense, that’s four receivers and a running back. There’s so much you can do out of it. You can run the option out of it, you can run complimentary routes out of it.

What would you like to do when you graduate from college?

I would like to start my own electrical engineering company that goes out and helps with construction companies or help people build buildings.